Do you remember which Canadian venue you first saw this unique and enduring alternative rock outfit, the Cowboy Junkies, in? Their Canadian soundtrack has expertly conveyed the sparseness of the open west for 40 years. Some lonesome harmonica, gentle guitar tremolo, a cool indifference toward what country or folk or rock are supposed to sound like, and the haunting lullaby resonance of Margo Timmins’ distinctively sleepy, seductive vocals. Not bad for a non-singing social worker who was convinced to join guitarist brother Michael and bassist Alan Anton after they moved on from their past punk and improvisational jazz projects to something completely different. With third Timmins sibling Peter on drums, the lineup was complete and has remained unchanged since. Through the Junkies’ international rise after 1988’s seminal Trinity Sessions (their second album, recorded with the same ambisonic microphone as their first in Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity, that turned Cowboy Junkies into an indie-rock sensation), their explorations with poppier brightness and distortion-heavy darkness, and through their evolution from a breakout stars on the rise to deeply respected veterans that continue to sell out halls throughout North America. After 16 studio and five live recordings (including the re-recorded material from The Trinity Sessions, this time with pals Natalie Merchant, Vic Chesnutt and Ryan Adams), many compilations, and album sales in excess of four million copies, the revered and once famously “slow, sad” band shows no signs of letting up.

— Jason Markusoff